The General figured out how the human body works. He could be impatient but if you listened and watched, you could learn. The most important thing I learned from General Choi? He understood that physiology varies among individuals so not everyone is going to do TKD techniques exactly the same. He would frequently say, "Something like this..." when he demonstrated techniques. Too many of us get caught up on measuring centimeters when really he just wanted you to understand how to move.
General Choi was a Good friend of Oyama Sosai (founder of Kyokushin) I hope that today's ITF blackbelts continue with General Choi's legacy for example making sure your school is not a belt factory, churning out black belts for the sake of money etc
The first time I met General Choi I was also a kid. I believe it was 1979. I was a green belt and he judged a pattern competition in which I performed Won-Hyo. I won second place and when I went up to receive my trophy from the hands of the General, I hesitated to shake his hand. When I looked down, I saw that he'd extended a gnarled hand covered with calluses! In those days he smoked and would put his cigarettes out on his knuckles. Awesome!!
Call me weird... I'm a kung fu practitioner and have respect for all martial artists. Having seen this man, so sick and yet strong enough to keep on teaching, I gave this video a fist-in-palm salute.
It is never too late to pick it up again. And I'm certain that any USTF or ITF instructor would honor your rank -- even if you're rusty and out of shape. The beautiful thing about the ITF, USTF, and the General's TKD is that it is a family. You are always welcome home and we are always there for you.
Hello, My name is Chris Davy and I am a TKD martial artist, currently red belt with black stripe. I wish to pay my respects to Major General Choi Hong Hee and thank him for leaving such a wonderful legacy. Rest in Peace and thank you again:)
Yes, the North Koreans practice traditional Taekwondo and are members of one of the three organizations claiming rightful ownership of the ITF logo and legacy. Although it was controversial, he introduced TKD to communist countries such as the Soviet Union, North Korea, and Vietnam in the late 1970's and early 1980's. Regardless of what you think of that decision, General Choi always said that TKD was for everyone regardless of age, gender, race, or nationality.
Did you ever hear him explain sine wave and how it should be applied and why? If you study the principles of sine wave and practice them, you will understand that sine wave is the way that the body works most effectively. We use sine wave everyday, even in walking down the street. If you apply sine wave to TKD techniques, your power will increase dramatically. Breaking will definitely improve.
Yes, Grand Master Renee Sereff is one of the best instructors in the business and has been a pioneer for female martial artists around the world. She's a great person and a good resource for knowledge on TKD technique as well as the history of the ITF, USTF, and Taekwon-do in general. Keep up the good work and pay attention to whatever she has to say.
i meet master choi in 2001 when he came 2 visit ireland and i must say he is a very nice man! and his love for the marshal art is unreal! RIP grandmaster choi hong hi
NewcomerUSTF...interestingly enough, pretty much the same thing happened to me with GM Park Jung Tae in 1990. He awarded me a trophy as a red belt in Nashville , TN. So cool. I was able to meet GGM Nam Tae Hi this past July in Memphis along with GM Kong Il Yong. GMM Nam signed everything I put in front of him to sign. He was such a nice man and so approachable as well. Big respect to you sir to have been able to perform at Gen Choi request. Taekwon!
I test for my 2nd Dan next month and my Master has trained under the general, and i could listen to all of the lectures My master has heard from General Choi. I wish i could have met him myself.
I am currently beginning to learn Taekwondo with Master Phap Lu at Ottawa, Ontario. It is very exhaustive and demanding but I'm loving every minutes of it. Maybe I just love my Master Lu=)) Respect to the General!
Yo hice un año de taekwondo cuando tenia unos 9 años, en el 98, y tuve la oportunidad de conocer al Maestro Choi, que habia venido a Argentina, pero no fui... ahora empece a practicar d nuevo, y me doy cuenta de que desaproveche una oportunidad unica... :(
i remember i met him back when i was a kid he came to ireland and he explained to us that taekwondo is to help develop peace on earth he was a very wise man and to live as long and to be as strong as he was in that age was just great :)
I met General Choi in 1999 when I used to train at Lee Sukhi TaeKwonDo in Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada. He was a nice man who could drink anyone over with Saki (smile with a tear in the eye). It was a great honour!
I train under Young Brothers Taekwon do (ITF CHOI") in Norco, ca . about an hour east of Los Angeles. Master Rhode, Master Sayles, and Master Jan Hunin..Have been and are my Instructors. All were taught by Grand Master Kong.
I am an Asst. Instructor with Mid-California Taekwondo (MCTKD) and I wish I hade the chance to meet Grand Master Choi. He is gone, but will not be forgoten!
I think I'd been a 5th Dan for about 6-8 months at the time of this course. The General was looking for someone to demo Yon Gae and I jumped up. I was nervous, so I made a goof or two. Yes, those are the shoulder/leg stripes of 4th Dan and above in the ITF. Symbolizes "expert" and above instructor. Sometimes referred to as "international instructor." I am from Denver originally and continue to study under GM Sereff. Currently live in Los Angeles.
The first time I met General Choi was also around 1979. It was 1980 and I was a green belt. For whatever reason, he decided to judge a colored belt patterns event that I was in. I was beside myself when he awarded me 2nd place for Won Hyo. What I remember most, however, was going up to him to receive my trophy. As he handed it to me I remember looking at his hand and being shocked, and a little repulsed, by the large number of callouses on every striking tool of his hand.
Saturday I'am going to get my Brown belt. I'am learning under Grand Master Lim Ching Sing (James Lim) He performed Joong-Gun Tul at General Choi's Encyclopedia of Taekwondo in 1984, Santa Barbara California. He also met Chuck Norris :O He is also elected to be the Chairman of the Technical Committee of the International TaeKwon-Do Federation
@Vinnylc158 I got to yellow belt years ago and then quit. About a year ago I joined a new club and had to start at white belt again but now I have made it to green stripe and I intend to persevere!
Often, as far as i know, there aren't many kids (here in norway atleast) who gets the black belt at a very young age. And it is also been made some qualifications you have to be/have for gaining a higher belt and so on. You have to have the same grade for atleast a set period of time before you can go to the next level. It is also set an minimum age limit at this, and when someone are getting 5-6. dan and higher,
He is from South Koreea and the ITF was born in 1966 in south, but after ghoi hon hi move in Canada, he start to work with north koreea, and south koree how respond for his actions create in 73 WTF, and in 1990 a disciple of G-M Choi Hong Hi, Park Jung Tae create GTF.
Mr. Wiznewski was the other instructor who was lucky enough to be the last of two instructors to receive direct instruction from the General. I don't know if any of his students were there, but I imagine so.
I will be going for my black belt at the end of the year and my instructor is ALWAYS quoting the general, especially when it comes to X-fist pressing block haha
Master Harkess has prevented someone who i train with who has been first degree since the age of about 11 and is now 14 and very talented. i don't know though good luck with your test anyway
i wonder what it was like to be in the very presents of the general and to be aproched by him and to be corrected by him. the black belts are so lucky i wish i was there
what is the highest dan in the world at the moment? I know kids that gain black belt at young age, so what happen when they get to the highest dan? can they creat new pattern?
Once or twice but, as my mother always says, "Newcomers are the first people always welcome everywhere they go." Have you ever been somewhere where the speaker says, "First, we'd like to welcome all of the newcomers"? Anyway, thanks for the compliment. All I see are my mistakes. :-)
My master (Master mcnally) was trained by General Choi and Master Mcnally has also been head butted by gen choi true story. It was some black and Mcnally said to choi why do my arms have to be this wide then choi told him to make his arms wider then he head butted him true story :)
couldn't have been ITF in the UK Master Harkess doesn't let students go to 2nd degree until they have reached the age of 14 or 15 i think. In honesty no one is ready to be 2nd dan by the age of 12. might have been different 19 years ago though i dont know, was it even Master Harkess at that point?
The General figured out how the human body works. He could be impatient but if you listened and watched, you could learn. The most important thing I learned from General Choi? He understood that physiology varies among individuals so not everyone is going to do TKD techniques exactly the same. He would frequently say, "Something like this..." when he demonstrated techniques. Too many of us get caught up on measuring centimeters when really he just wanted you to understand how to move.
General Choi was a Good friend of Oyama Sosai (founder of Kyokushin) I hope that today's ITF blackbelts continue with General Choi's legacy for example making sure your school is not a belt factory, churning out black belts for the sake of money etc
The first time I met General Choi I was also a kid. I believe it was 1979. I was a green belt and he judged a pattern competition in which I performed Won-Hyo. I won second place and when I went up to receive my trophy from the hands of the General, I hesitated to shake his hand. When I looked down, I saw that he'd extended a gnarled hand covered with calluses! In those days he smoked and would put his cigarettes out on his knuckles. Awesome!!
I'm a black belt in ITF. Gen. Choi is amazing, this is the year he died and he still kept indomitable spirit.
Call me weird... I'm a kung fu practitioner and have respect for all martial artists. Having seen this man, so sick and yet strong enough to keep on teaching, I gave this video a fist-in-palm salute.
It is never too late to pick it up again. And I'm certain that any USTF or ITF instructor would honor your rank -- even if you're rusty and out of shape. The beautiful thing about the ITF, USTF, and the General's TKD is that it is a family. You are always welcome home and we are always there for you.
Hello,
My name is Chris Davy and I am a TKD martial artist, currently red belt with black stripe. I wish to pay my respects to Major General Choi Hong Hee and thank him for leaving such a wonderful legacy. Rest in Peace and thank you again:)
Yes, the North Koreans practice traditional Taekwondo and are members of one of the three organizations claiming rightful ownership of the ITF logo and legacy. Although it was controversial, he introduced TKD to communist countries such as the Soviet Union, North Korea, and Vietnam in the late 1970's and early 1980's. Regardless of what you think of that decision, General Choi always said that TKD was for everyone regardless of age, gender, race, or nationality.
Did you ever hear him explain sine wave and how it should be applied and why? If you study the principles of sine wave and practice them, you will understand that sine wave is the way that the body works most effectively. We use sine wave everyday, even in walking down the street. If you apply sine wave to TKD techniques, your power will increase dramatically. Breaking will definitely improve.
Yes, Grand Master Renee Sereff is one of the best instructors in the business and has been a pioneer for female martial artists around the world. She's a great person and a good resource for knowledge on TKD technique as well as the history of the ITF, USTF, and Taekwon-do in general. Keep up the good work and pay attention to whatever she has to say.
i meet master choi in 2001 when he came 2 visit ireland and i must say he is a very nice man! and his love for the marshal art is unreal! RIP grandmaster choi hong hi
NewcomerUSTF...interestingly enough, pretty much the same thing happened to me with GM Park Jung Tae in 1990. He awarded me a trophy as a red belt in Nashville , TN. So cool. I was able to meet GGM Nam Tae Hi this past July in Memphis along with GM Kong Il Yong. GMM Nam signed everything I put in front of him to sign. He was such a nice man and so approachable as well. Big respect to you sir to have been able to perform at Gen Choi request. Taekwon!
wow. To be able to perform a pattern to the man who invented it? Awsome! And very humbling
I test for my 2nd Dan next month and my Master has trained under the general, and i could listen to all of the lectures My master has heard from General Choi. I wish i could have met him myself.
I am currently beginning to learn Taekwondo with Master Phap Lu at Ottawa, Ontario. It is very exhaustive and demanding but I'm loving every minutes of it. Maybe I just love my Master Lu=))
Respect to the General!
Yo hice un año de taekwondo cuando tenia unos 9 años, en el 98, y tuve la oportunidad de conocer al Maestro Choi, que habia venido a Argentina, pero no fui... ahora empece a practicar d nuevo, y me doy cuenta de que desaproveche una oportunidad unica... :(
i just recently obtained my black belt and over my 5 years at tae kwon do it has been the best 5 years of my life
i remember i met him back when i was a kid he came to ireland and he explained to us that taekwondo is to help develop peace on earth he was a very wise man and to live as long and to be as strong as he was in that age was just great :)
What a great honour to be corrected by Grl Choi. Greetings from Argentina!
I met General Choi in 1999 when I used to train at Lee Sukhi TaeKwonDo in Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada. He was a nice man who could drink anyone over with Saki (smile with a tear in the eye). It was a great honour!
I train under Young Brothers Taekwon do (ITF CHOI") in Norco, ca
. about an hour east of Los Angeles. Master Rhode, Master Sayles, and Master Jan Hunin..Have been and are my Instructors. All were taught by Grand Master Kong.
Yes she is she's a very wonderful person and an amazing instructor
Much respect from a JKD guy. I trained with Park Jong Soo 72-78. General Choi was a Master.
General Choi was born in the North, when there was but one Korea! He moved to the South after WWII.
Thank you for this lovely video..
The man is a legend!
I am an Asst. Instructor with Mid-California Taekwondo (MCTKD) and I wish I hade the chance to meet Grand Master Choi. He is gone, but will not be forgoten!
He sure is. I'm very fortunate to be taught by him=)) Thank you
I think I'd been a 5th Dan for about 6-8 months at the time of this course. The General was looking for someone to demo Yon Gae and I jumped up. I was nervous, so I made a goof or two. Yes, those are the shoulder/leg stripes of 4th Dan and above in the ITF. Symbolizes "expert" and above instructor. Sometimes referred to as "international instructor." I am from Denver originally and continue to study under GM Sereff. Currently live in Los Angeles.
wow... i wish i met him... that would be amazing
The first time I met General Choi was also around 1979. It was 1980 and I was a green belt. For whatever reason, he decided to judge a colored belt patterns event that I was in. I was beside myself when he awarded me 2nd place for Won Hyo. What I remember most, however, was going up to him to receive my trophy. As he handed it to me I remember looking at his hand and being shocked, and a little repulsed, by the large number of callouses on every striking tool of his hand.
Norco , Ca has ITF Under Grand Master Kong (Young Brothers)
You have got to love the irony of one as good as you being called newcomer. No doubt you have heard that more times than you care to remember.
Saturday I'am going to get my Brown belt. I'am learning under Grand Master Lim Ching Sing (James Lim) He performed Joong-Gun Tul at General Choi's Encyclopedia of Taekwondo in 1984, Santa Barbara California. He also met Chuck Norris :O He is also elected to be the Chairman of the Technical Committee of the International TaeKwon-Do Federation
@Vinnylc158
I got to yellow belt years ago and then quit. About a year ago I joined a new club and had to start at white belt again but now I have made it to green stripe and I intend to persevere!
Gen.Choi was old, but he was still able to do TKD, awesome
I wish I'll be that mobil when I'm 84! RIP General Choi
Master Lu is an excellent instructor.
Thanks for this video... Thanks!!!
Yes, that's me. Flaws and all. Thank you.
Often, as far as i know, there aren't many kids (here in norway atleast) who gets the black belt at a very young age. And it is also been made some qualifications you have to be/have for gaining a higher belt and so on. You have to have the same grade for atleast a set period of time before you can go to the next level. It is also set an minimum age limit at this, and when someone are getting 5-6. dan and higher,
He is from South Koreea and the ITF was born in 1966 in south, but after ghoi hon hi move in Canada, he start to work with north koreea, and south koree how respond for his actions create in 73 WTF, and in 1990 a disciple of G-M Choi Hong Hi, Park Jung Tae create GTF.
I used to go to an ITF dojo in the states started by Grand master Hwang. ITF and WTF is worlds apart.
i never seen this forms done before
R.I.P. Your introduction of modern day Taekwon-do to North America has changed our culture.
Me encanta esto
Omg, having the honor to meet him, I bet was amazing. Gosh, why did he have to pass....
Mr. Wiznewski was the other instructor who was lucky enough to be the last of two instructors to receive direct instruction from the General. I don't know if any of his students were there, but I imagine so.
More coming soon.
I will be going for my black belt at the end of the year and my instructor is ALWAYS quoting the general, especially when it comes to X-fist pressing block haha
There was almost everybody above 4th Dan, how impressive :)
Master Harkess has prevented someone who i train with who has been first degree since the age of about 11 and is now 14 and very talented.
i don't know though
good luck with your test anyway
thank u so much
:)
in terms of technique ITF has more "flow" than GTF. But basically they are the same, with allmost the same patterns and kicks.
i wonder what it was like to be in the very presents of the general and to be aproched by him and to be corrected by him. the black belts are so lucky i wish i was there
No. In the ITF, 7th and 8th Dan are masters and grand master is 9th Dan.
what is the highest dan in the world at the moment?
I know kids that gain black belt at young age, so what happen when they get to the highest dan? can they creat new pattern?
Once or twice but, as my mother always says, "Newcomers are the first people always welcome everywhere they go." Have you ever been somewhere where the speaker says, "First, we'd like to welcome all of the newcomers"? Anyway, thanks for the compliment. All I see are my mistakes. :-)
Great. Please tell him I said hello.
What means USTF? I am green belt (blue stripe next month) and I live in Buenos Aires. Another question: what means the second move of Juche?
im only white belt in taekwondo i have my belt test next moth
at 3:00 minutes is that Master Kirschbaum behind General Choi?
Your soooo lucky I would love to have met him but i got the second best things Grand Master Renee Sereff and I are friends
Except for the jumping backside the form was excellent.
Much respect
My master (Master mcnally) was trained by General Choi and Master Mcnally has also been head butted by gen choi true story. It was some black and Mcnally said to choi why do my arms have to be this wide then choi told him to make his arms wider then he head butted him true story :)
I wish see him, im only white belt taekwondo i have my bwlt test next moth
couldn't have been ITF in the UK
Master Harkess doesn't let students go to 2nd degree until they have reached the age of 14 or 15 i think. In honesty no one is ready to be 2nd dan by the age of 12.
might have been different 19 years ago though i dont know, was it even Master Harkess at that point?
You are very lucky :)
I learn Taekwondo from Mr. Jay So in Pennsylvania
ahhh what else to say? tae kwondo rocks
will your examiner be Master Harkess?
then hes not a master, the title of master is bestowed at 7th dan
Please send me a message through TH-cam or at newcomerustf@aol.com
Newcomer is first rate ...
kl
and if u dont breathe u will faint
Taekwon!